In September 2022 we took not one, but two, Disney trips!
First up was Labor Day! On the way we stopped for some mini-dates at CFA where we all paired up and sat at separate tables.
Tess told us everyyyyy detail of her day and Kye was SO annoyed but he used to do the SAME thing!
Also had to make a stop when Spear yelled he needed to poo-poo
We had a chill day and offered up for anyone who wanted to go putt-putt with Daddy could go. Kye and Tess took him up on the offer and I just love when different pairings take place! They had a great time and I was proud of Tess and Britt for separating and each doing what they wanted to do.
Spear and Britt were content to chill with Mommy and swim!
My second cousin, Ashley, recently moved from Michigan to Florida and I was so excited for her to do a Disney day with us!
The kids hadn’t ever met Ashley and it was PRECIOUS how instantly they took to her. It filled my heart so much to have quality time with my cousin from my side of the family and for the kids to get to have these memories with her.
Plus we got to show her Disney the right way – the Parker way ๐
We forgot our stroller at home (which NEVER happens!!!!) and thankfully we had a stroller at the Disney house to use.
Got onto Main Street just in time for Ashley to see the welcoming show ๐
Ashley is my 2nd cousin and a good bit younger than me. She and I also never lived in the same state so we never spent a ton of time together in childhood. It was SUCH a great chance for US to connect and I was just blown away by her beauty, kindness, strength and personal growth journey. I can’t wait to see her future unfold ๐
It was also such a great opportunity to get to to things we so often skip! So many of the rides and experiences kids Spear’s age enjoy so much are ones we often skip. Loved getting to ride Little Mermaid as well as the carousel!
Splash was, of course, shut down but the thrill seekers got to ride Thunder and we were able to do Jungle Cruise too. Tessie also met a fellow Tess!
Loved getting to meet MICKEY!!! We had a fantastic cast member who got down with Spear to explain things to him as he explored. He enjoyed giving Minnie kisses!
We had such a perfectly timed day! Zach took Spear back to the house (with a treat on the way). Kye wanted to do his own thing for a bit so the girls did a little shopping down Main Street and ended with the perfectly shaded spot for Festival of the Fantasy. First time watching the parade in 2.5 years!
Space was down for a bit and we were able to ride People Mover to see it with the lights on. When the rain came down we just kept rolling and having fun!
I secured a good fireworks watching spot for us while the others rode teacups! They were able to ride splash and then we shut down the park with a 2nd ride on Space…and the privilege of them getting to be the LAST people to ride of the day!
Tess made it from 8:30 am until 11:30 pm without a single ride in the stroller!
On the way back to the Disney house we pulled over to see an armadillo and we were all at the silly sleepy stage where we couldn’t stop laughing about it.
Such a fun day together and our only park day of the weekend! We enjoyed the full day of fun ๐
Later in the month Liz reached out to me about going back to Disney for a girls trip in honor of Evie’s birthday! Tess and Evie became buddies at Bible Camp over the summer – such an honor to be invited
I was a quick yes ๐ Tess and Evie are THE cutest duo!!!!
We had a little hiccup in our park reservation and instead of going to DHS we had to go over to Epcot and then come BACK to park hop to DHS. So dumb.
At least it gave us a fun excuse to ride the skyliner! It was the first time for Evie, Lucy and Liz!
Britt was especially excited for this trip – it was her first friend trip to Disney! She and Lucy have known each other since birth and it was so neat to have them reconnect.
While in Epcot…why not say hey to Daisy, pop in for the Beauty and the Beast Singalong and get some ice cream? ๐
Right as we approached the Skyliner to head back to DHS it shut down due to lightning. We got to experience a Disney first for us all – taking the boat!
We also got to enjoy some magic while in line for the boat. While on the ride the driver told us with the lightning their boat would probably also get shut down so it was smarter to get off at Boardwalk and walk. So that’s what we did – for another first!
Once we arrived Britt and Lucy ran off to do their own thing and the littles wanted to head to Toy Story Land! Gah they were SO adorable and everywhere we went magic just followed them (literally a cast member randomly gifted us Lightning Lanes and then when we rode Toy Story Mania a cast member told us to hop back on and ride again!).
The older girls did Star Tours then met back up with us for try to get some dinner. We used the lightning lane for Smuggler’s Run and shut down the park with one last attraction. Liz and Tess headed to Tower of Terror and the rest of us went to Rise of Resistance.
Britt was so excited to take Evie and Lucy for their first time!
On our way out of the park? A cast member handed us free pretzels! It was SUCH a fun day!!!
For Day 2 my kids were loving getting to ride in THE VAN. Liz has this awesome van and we have an awesome Disney house so it’s a pretty epic combo ๐
A hurricane was heading our way so we went to fill up with gas and to pick up some redbox movies in case it was a long ride back in bad traffic.
Very thankful for the return of parking trams and that we made in time for our first Nutella Waffles! Didn’t disappoint and totally worth the hype!
Tess is 1 year older than Evie and seeing them together was a such a big reminder to me of how much Tess has grown up! No more gap tooth smile, no more little baby limbs, no more little poke out baby tummy. My baby is growing up!
It was SO fun doing Disney with Disney people!!! We are all just super chill and enjoy the little inbetween moments. You wanna stop for a picture? A snack? Go across the park bc a ride has a shorter wait time? See a spot you wanna explore? We are DOWN FOR WHATEVER.
We kept an eye on the traffic all day as we assumed with the hurricane coming that we’d have it pretty rough driving home!
Being a random Tuesday in September AND pre-hurricane meant very very low crowds AND gorgeous weather for us!!!! September and not sweating? Never happens!
The littles were so adorable together and I loved that my girls got to do so many fun things with friends – like ride tea cups which is always a BIG NO from me!
Always gotta end the day shopping and snacking down Main Street!
Took our time and slow rolled it and about died when EVERYONE’S phone went off at the same time with a national weather update about the incoming hurricane! We also got notified from Disney that due to Hurricane Ian on the way the parks would be closed the following day. We lucked out with our timing for sure!
We were anticipating a badddd drive home with everyone evacuating but it really worked out great and we had no problems at all!
It was SUCH a fun trip and just a great group. One for the books for sure and we look forward to doing it again!
